A Conversation with
Max Koether

No, this isn’t a Tarzan like story and the Rat’s Nest Cave isn’t where Max met his Jane, at least it’s not the likely story based on our conversation about his wife’s feelings towards the cave. He wasn’t technically raised in the cave either, but he did spend a good portion of his childhood exploring it with his parents.

Max does describe the cave as his true home, while his house is just somewhere he sleeps at night. Spending equal hours inside it and out, he’s intimately familiar with what’s currently been discovered of the cave so far. Max’s story is more similar to discoverers like Sir Robert McClure who was the first to transit the Northwest Passage. Keep reading if you want to hear all about how he came to caving and why he still sticks with it.

CCT

Do you ever get bored of the cave?

Max

Oh, absolutely not. I’m an ideas driven person and if I thought that I knew everything there was to know then maybe. But that day is unlikely to ever arrive, I’m still learning new stuff all the time. It’s a great joy having this working family with these great guides who come in with their expertise in very different fields than my own - I get to learn from the old-timers to the new-hires.

CCT

I was originally surprised to learn that all of the guides seem to come from an academic background. My assumption was that guides would be drawn to it for the athletics, but it’s cool to see the two merge together and you get all of that knowledge infused into the tour.

Max

And, of course, they’re all an outdoorsy, sporty crowd, so it’s an interesting mix of people. You’re off on a multi-pitch climb with them and you all stop to look at this cool fossil along the way. We’re a bunch of dorks and it’s great.

CCT

Aside from your parents introducing you to caving, what’s the biggest draw?

Max

I suppose it’s this whole idea that the cave is less than an hour from Calgary and we are still discovering, surveying, and naming new passages. It’s one of the last frontiers in the world and it’s so unbelievably accessible - it’s only a 30-minute walk from the road. What a sense of wonder and opportunity. It puts you back in scale as to how much there is to know. I grew up reading stories of pioneers sailing the Northwest Passage and the first explorers to Antarctica and it always sounded like an amazing thing that’s passed us by. And we have this right down the road, happening now! It sounds like something somebody else would do.

CCT

How much of the cave is still being discovered?

Max

What we’ve discovered right now is presumably just the tip of the iceberg. What you need is to find where the water must have drained out. The nearest place for that is Cougar Creek here in Canmore, but even that isn’t a large enough basin to account for how much cave passage we’ve found. So, if you keep moving along this row of mountains, the next body of water is Lake Minnewanka, that has got to be how long this cave goes. Now, whether that is big enough for us to fit into or how much of it is filled with mud is up for grabs. It’s been four decades to find four kilometers – we’ve barely started here. Dr. Charles Yonge, the original owner, estimates it to be approximately 50 km long. It’s like my kids’, kids’, kids could still be working on this.

And that’s my main argument for having kids - to have nice small people to send through small holes, my wife is not impressed by this.

CCT

… I mean it worked for your parents.

CCT

Is there any way to map the cave with radars?

Max

Some ground-penetrating radar is coming along in a big way, especially because that’s a lot of how they find mineral and oil deposits in the ground, so the financial incentive is very present. I’m guessing within the next decade you’ll be able to map sections of cave with the press of a button. But the accuracy right now isn’t quite where we need it and it’s expensive, difficult to move, doesn’t do well with humidity etc. We’ll look back on the days of mapping rooms with a compass and a rope as incredibly quaint.

CCT

Does that take the fun out of it?

Max

I’m trying not to be too much of a dinosaur about it. I want to move along with the times, so I’ll see it as an amazing opportunity. I’ll say that with a slight grimace.

CCT

What’s your favourite part of your job?

Max

I think of the cave as my home, and my house is just a building that I sleep in. I have such a special connection with the cave. I’ve been in it longer than any house I’ve ever lived in. And that’s why when I came into this, I was expecting to find more passion and learn more, but it’s become very much not even about the cave anymore.

I get to meet the most amazing people, every single day. Pretty much no one has a caving background; our joke is that it’s an underground sport and not many people know of it. My guests are people who don’t mind doing something completely new and slightly scary for the very first time and they’re opting to do that with their free time. Those are incredible people, so open.

I’ve had the cool opportunity to organize special events like meditation, music, and speakers all in the cave. I get to learn so much from people with different walks of life. I’m not just learning science from the guides, it’s performance and story-telling and finding connections with people. I get to see the cave through their eyes as well. Musicians go in the cave and their jaws hang, they literally stop the performance to say: “how cool is this.” It’s a good stop-gap for complacency. It’s clear-headed appreciation of the miracle of the cave that should be appreciated.

CCT

It’s like a type 2 wellness. Not the clear-cut yoga and meditation but the appreciation you have for your accomplishment and the space once you’ve completed the tour.

Max

It’s literally passages, rock, and mud. But you bring your own experiences and history and you craft a life-changing experience for yourself. The cave is simply a medium. It can be a struggle to let your old self go, but the type 2 comes in at the end when you can’t believe how amazing it was.

CCT

You surprise yourself by what your body is capable of, what you’re mentally capable of.

MAX

It’s a smart response to be slightly cautious of the unknown. I totally appreciate when my guests come in and they are nervous of certain aspects of the day, that just proves that you’re thinking. You’re not actually in danger, but I appreciate, that you appreciate that this is an intense experience.

CCT

What is your biggest advice for people who are nervous of their first time?

MAX

Most people are, you are not alone. Even people who say they aren’t, totally are. So much of the joy that we experience in our lives isn’t because we avoided conflict and hardship, you gain so much by seeking out challenges and being comfortable in the maelstrom. You’ll look back on it with pride for the rest of your life.

CCT

You look at that moment and say I need a photo of this because this is a story you tell your kids.

MAX

You’re taking a moment to remind yourself that this is important, I should remember this. And then you see the photo and it takes you back to that moment. As a picture, it’s just a picture but for you it’s a medium to share a story.

CCT

What do you think your guests are most surprised by?

Max

Their first response is “oh, what have I gotten myself into.” And when you say caving people think the nice wide cathedrals, good lighting, and railings. As much as we tell people that’s not what it is, they’re still surprised when they enter – this is a hole in a mountain. You have to make the decision to move yourself through the unknown space, we’re not going to carry you through. It’s the sensation of going into a genuinely wild cave and people resonate with it - if you’re used to a bus tour, there’s not a whole lot of opportunity to personalize it, but our guides have so much passion they’ll engage you and wrap you into their passion. People are stunned by how much they become involved in the story of the cave.

CCT

When you think of the amount of people that have experienced Lake Louise in comparison to the cave, you’re one of the few. So, you really do become a part of the story of the cave.

Max

I’m the vehicle for telling the story of the cave. It has all of this history wrapped up inside it and it doesn’t happen to have a mouth, but I can tell it on its behalf. We hear that this was the highlight of our guest’s trip and when they think of Canada, they think of the cave. It’s literally a rock, so what they’re actually thinking of is their experience that they had with their guide. That’s a huge responsibility.

CCT

You’re in it with the other members of the group, and it’s not a big tour group so, you experience it all together.

Max

At the beginning of the day everyone is so nice and demure and at the end of the trip it’s like “grab my butt, push me, I’ve got you.”

CCT

Do you find that you only get adventurous people or all walks of life?

Max

I think all walks of life discover their adventurous side. Maybe you have other passions that are more prominent, and we cater to those with our ongoing lecturer series, photographers in the cave, and the meditation/mindfulness connection. There are people who would never in their lives want to go caving but would love to meditate in a cave – we want to share it with them. The cave has so many stories, we will find a story that connects with you.

CCT

Do you take your wife into the cave with you?

Max

No, she’s not actually a big fan of it. I think she enjoys the romanticism of it, the idea of adventure and sharing of stories, but it’s a muddy hole in the ground. That only attracts a certain kind of person. Iola will come into the cave for special events. She’s the artist in this relationship. But she loves that I love it.

Book your caving experience with Max or one of our other passionate guides and get to know why they love the Rat’s Nest Cave so much.